China’s military is advancing suspected biological weapons research with the aid of artificial intelligence, according to the U.S. State Department’s 2024 arms compliance report. The report highlights ongoing concerns about Beijing's failure to disclose offensive bioweapons activities, including work on ricin, botulinum, anthrax, and marine toxins — some of the most lethal known to science.
The report also notes China’s omission of key military labs and research programs from international treaty disclosures required under the Biological Weapons Convention, which bans the development and stockpiling of bioweapons.
For the first time, the report confirms China's use of AI and machine learning to potentially support bioweapons efforts, though it says the Chinese military remains reliant on Western equipment for advanced research.
Similar concerns were raised about Russia, North Korea, and Iran, but China’s growing use of AI in this area marks a significant shift in the global biological threat landscape.
